Serendipitous Musings

Janpath

“Next station is Rajiv Chowk. Doors will open on the left. Please mind the gap.”

This announcement in metro and a swarm of people board and de-board the train. I always used to wonder why while I was in high school. However, coming to college gave me wings to explore and this place was my first stop to discover, located in the heart of the Capital city is approachable from any corner of Delhi. People live here and I fell in love here (oh, not with a guy like Raj from DDLJ who happen to cross my path. 😛 ) I fell in love with idea of travel, exploration activities, this place and myself (you know I’m irresistible).
I’ve been to this place so many times in just one year that I have lost count and it still continues to amaze me. This place has so many things to offer and to all the people around the world. Yes, the world. It’s a lifeline for everyone, be it a person with low income or a person who is filthy rich. Age is just a number here, people from all age groups have fun here at this very place.

Okay, so let me come to the point, how you, who have never really explored this place, can have some awesome fun with or without friends. (Yes, yes, you can be here on your own and not get bored at all)

Get down from the metro as soon as you hear the announcement and take an exit from any of the gates if you’ve been here before, otherwise take it from Gate no. 7. You’ll end up at A block in inner circle and then decide whether you want to aimlessly wander or sit and enjoy at a peaceful place. I’d suggest that take one whole week to explore this place as there’s so much to do. You can have amazing food in cafes like The Vault, Boombox Cafe, or McDonalds, KFC, Dominos, Dunkin, Starbucks etc and also do some branded shopping in stores like Benetton etc. Also, inner circle have specific interest centric shops too, like musical instruments for musicians, Photographer’s paradise and Oxford Bookstore. Ah, Bookstore, oh shit, I might go off track now as I’ve spent approximately 3 hours in this store at a stretch without realizing the time, will talk about this in another post maybe. So, apart from these big stores, you’ll find people selling cool phone covers, bags, books, accessories, and cigarettes and candies. However, you’ll have to bargain a lot to get the best price for the duplicate things, yes, I got replica of original fast track watch for just 100 rupees after a lot of bargaining. EEEEEEEEeeeeeeee… I feel so good. Okay excited mode on hold. So yes, this was a brief overview of the inner circle.

Okay, so now if you’re a girl and a shopping freak, Janpath is the place for you. Only requirement being, you love shopping and are a bargaining queen. Since, I don’t fulfill either of the requirements, not going to say much. Been there, twice or thrice, was out of there within 30 minutes and I feel very proud to say that I actually got all the required things in those 30 minutes, you see I’m very fast and a professional. That’s all for Janpath.
Now, if you’re still not satisfied, go to the Emporiums Section which is a five minute walk from Gate no. 7 and you’ll find good clothes there with reasonable price range and longer shelf life. And if you walk further, you’ll reach Hanuman Mandir and Bangla Sahib.

Hanuman Mandir is a place bustling with people and you can see them doing various religious rites and you might participate if you believe in them, however, it’s more fascinating to watch than practice and Bangla Sahib, is a beautiful and peaceful place to spend some time for introspection, and rejoicing the gift of life and if you happen to have langar then it’s a divine experience altogether.

There’s so much to this place that I possibly cannot write everything even though I wish to. CP has many connotations associated with it. Apart from all the things mentioned above, CP celebrates Raahgiri Day every sunday morning from 6 AM to 12 noon (but it usually ends around 11 AM :P) and currently there’s a Food Festival going on in CP, “Dilli ke Pakwan” as part of Christmas and new year celebration. Do give a visit within this year. Have Fun, and keep on exploring! 🙂

Truly, Connaught Place is a place where there’s life in all its Glory!!